The film is the true story of story of Linda Lovelace (Seyfried), who became the star of the hardcore porn title Deep Throat. The film shows how Lovelace falls under the all-consuming influence of her abusive husband and self-declared manager, Chuck Traynor (Sarsgaard), who uses all means possible to persuade her to comply with his demands. The fragile woman becomes an infamous porn star, seems to be happy, but eventually breaks free from her husband and discloses the truth in order to prevent other women from getting similarly exploited.